Law enforcement authorities on Thursday disclosed “Operation Gas,” an investigation that they say smashed a multimillion-dollar drug-peddling ring in the Providence metropolitan area.

Gregory Smith Journal Staff Writer

Law enforcement authorities on Thursday disclosed “Operation Gas,” an investigation that they say smashed a multimillion-dollar drug-peddling ring in the Providence metropolitan area and dismantled the MS-13 street gang in the capital city.

Thirty-six people have been arrested, and 24 of those convicted and imprisoned. At least 12 of the 36 have been deported or face possible deportation for immigration violations, according to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

The investigation, which lasted more than two years, made extensive use of electronic surveillance such as wiretaps and motor vehicle tracking devices.

It netted more than 23 kilograms of heroin, with an estimated street value of $6.1 million; more than 100 grams of cocaine, valued at $4,000; 15 firearms; more than $400,000; and 12 vehicles.

Among the seizures was the previously publicized grab in October 2012 of 19 kilograms of heroin, valued at $4.5 million, which was by far the largest single heroin seizure in Rhode Island history. Providence police found the heroin in a house in the Wanskuck neighborhood.

Operation Gas, nicknamed for a gasoline service station and auto body repair shop in the West End of Providence where one of the major suspects worked, focused on the trafficking of drugs from the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to metro Providence, the authorities said.

Then it expanded to the targeting of MS-13, whose members were involved in gang-on-gang violence, firearms sales and drug dealing.

There was extensive electronic surveillance, including wiretaps and the use of motor vehicle tracking devices.

The authorities involved in Operation Gas, including the office of the U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island, four federal criminal investigative agencies, the Rhode Island attorney general’s office and six state and local police departments, kept quiet about the overall operation even as some of the arrests and convictions were separately announced over the months.

The first apprehension, on April 20, 2011, was that of Jose Victor Fernandez, 47, of Providence, the first significant target in the heroin trafficking case, according to Jim Martin, spokesman for U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha.

Investigators found two kilograms of heroin concealed inside car parts shipped from Guatemala to an auto dealership where Fernandez worked. In addition to drug trafficking, Fernandez was convicted of attempted murder-for-hire — his girlfriend was the target — and he is serving a 97-month sentence in federal prison.

“One thing led to another which leads to another which leads to another,” Martin said. In that process, he said, investigators did not want to connect the dots publicly in order to avoid harming the probe with a premature disclosure.

With the last pending prosecution consummated on Nov. 11 and no more arrests expected, officials decided it was safe to tell the larger story now, Martin said. The investigation continues nevertheless and some of the defendants might face additional charges related to firearms.

“History has taught us only too well: gangs and drug dealing inevitably lead to gun violence. To effectively combat this violence, we must continue to do more than simply wait for the shooting to stop and assess the carnage. Only a proactive approach, targeting the worst of the worst and bringing them to justice before the shooting starts can lead to a safer Rhode Island.”

The nickname Operation Gas arose from the employment of Jose Dume Jr., a leader of a ring that sold heroin and cocaine in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, at Garcia Auto, a gas station/auto body shop at 559 Cranston St., Providence.

Dume Jr., 29, of Providence, pleaded guilty to drug, conspiracy and weapon charges and was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. A confederate, Ariel Hassel, 33, of Cranston, also known as Miguel Angel Colon, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison.

Also nabbed was Francisco A. “Cisco” Bonilla, 35, of Providence, called the leader of MS-13 in Providence. He pleaded guilty to charges in January and is serving a 10-year sentence at the Adult Correctional Institutions. As a citizen of El Salvador, he will face deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence.

Twelve other men charged in Operation Gas also were detained on immigration offenses and most of the 12 have been deported. They were identified as members of two gangs, MS-13 and SUR-13.

The more widely known gang, MS-13, or Mara Salvatruche, roughly translated as “Beware the Salvadoran Gang,” was born in El Salvador and has flourished in California. Although gangs bearing the same name surfaced on the East Coast, their links to the West Coast MS-13 is thought to be tenuous.

SUR-13, according to Martin, is the joining of forces by members of different gangs in Southern California who then spread out to other locales.